Philosopher George Santayana warned us that "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Many others have said the same or similar. Most of us have heard it, most of us get it, and most of us can found countless examples that prove it.
Although... there are cases where it’s better to forget history. Many of the world’s most intractable conflicts persist because people can’t let go of things that happened centuries ago.
Most every nationality has taken its turn as both the oppressor and the oppressed. If there can’t be peace until every historic wrong has been righted you’ll never sort it out.
Selective forgetting is part of the problem. It's why we have the whole "kumbaya Native Americans displaced by evil colonizers" schtick going on, when the various native tribes spend centuries warring on and killing each other (just like the Europeans and just like everywhere else in the world) and where different nations possessed certain lands at different times.
As a side comment, I very rarely see anybody smoking actual cigarettes anymore - to the point that I notice it when I see/smell it. Cigarette smoking used to be quite common - we had ashtrays on the desks at work...in government offices no less. My mom and dad smoked at the dinner table. And I'm not THAT old. I didn't used to notice cigarette butts all over the place - they were everywhere. Not anymore. And I live in Alabama - far removed from the sophisticated metropolis of NYC. But I do see vaping much more commonly now...same nicotine hit without the smell and burned clothes - and COST.
I've seen the same, though it can vary wildly. NYC had, per my loose observations, less smoking than CA the times I went out there. That said, certain pockets in NYC (in particular eastern European and middle-eastern concentrates) have a lot more smokers than others.
Although... there are cases where it’s better to forget history. Many of the world’s most intractable conflicts persist because people can’t let go of things that happened centuries ago.
Most every nationality has taken its turn as both the oppressor and the oppressed. If there can’t be peace until every historic wrong has been righted you’ll never sort it out.
Selective forgetting is part of the problem. It's why we have the whole "kumbaya Native Americans displaced by evil colonizers" schtick going on, when the various native tribes spend centuries warring on and killing each other (just like the Europeans and just like everywhere else in the world) and where different nations possessed certain lands at different times.
The key is to learn from history.
As a side comment, I very rarely see anybody smoking actual cigarettes anymore - to the point that I notice it when I see/smell it. Cigarette smoking used to be quite common - we had ashtrays on the desks at work...in government offices no less. My mom and dad smoked at the dinner table. And I'm not THAT old. I didn't used to notice cigarette butts all over the place - they were everywhere. Not anymore. And I live in Alabama - far removed from the sophisticated metropolis of NYC. But I do see vaping much more commonly now...same nicotine hit without the smell and burned clothes - and COST.
I've seen the same, though it can vary wildly. NYC had, per my loose observations, less smoking than CA the times I went out there. That said, certain pockets in NYC (in particular eastern European and middle-eastern concentrates) have a lot more smokers than others.